The Heart Never Lies
by LullabyeLaura
Summary: Adelaide Fletcher looks up to her brother, Tom. They look alike, they think alike, and their personalities are pretty similar, but Addie is getting tired of constantly being seen only as his little sister. She loves him, but she feels like it's time for her to make a name for herself, or at least show that she isn't a female version of her older brother.
1. Homecoming

_Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock._

The clock above our fireplace ticked slowly, the sound almost inaudible over the beating of my heart. Only thirty more minutes and my parents would be home, my brother and his three band mates squeezed into the car with them. They left over an hour ago to pick the boys up from the airport, but called to let me know that the flight had been slightly delayed. I still wish they had let me come, though. I began to look at the pictures that were next to the clock.

The first few were baby pictures of my brother and I, both of us gaining more and more of the blond fuzz we both possessed as we got older in the pictures. Then it was a picture of both of us; I was sitting on a stool with my hands placed in my lap, white dress draped over my knees, and Tom was standing behind me, a hand on my shoulder. It was one of the many family portraits that our mother took us to get. I looked to be about eleven or twelve, so he had to be about... sixteen or seventeen. Even though he's smiling, he looks like he's in slight pain. That's because he had gotten into a fight the day before and got one of his teeth knocked out. Thank God it was his last baby tooth. Then came the birthday pictures. Our mother made the cakes for us every year- and we still agree that her cakes are better than any we've ever bought. Mine were strawberry with chocolate icing, and every year my brother had written in blue icing "Happy Birthday, Addie!" His were chocolate with vanilla icing. I always wrote "Happy Birthday, Tom!" in red. You can tell we didn't have that many friends when we were younger because it was just us and our family in the first few birthday pictures. But when my brother turned sixteen, three more people showed up. Danny, Dougie, and Harry made me and Tom grin in every picture, each of them doing something silly. In Tom's seventeenth birthday picture, Harry had taken two party hats and put them on his chest, making it look like he had extremely pointy boobs. Danny had a Styrofoam bowl over his head, icing dripping into his face. Dougie's face was scrunched into a laughing expression of pain because Tom was shoving ice cream down the front of his pants. I was the one that had "caked" Danny, and I was laughing at him while scooping a finger full of icing and eating it.

I picked up the framed photograph and held it. That one was definitely my favorite.

I heard a car pull into the driveway. Car doors slammed and voices twittered excitedly as my mother or father turned the key in the lock. As soon as the door swung open, I was attacked by four boys, knocked down to the ground and on the bottom of a dog pile.

"Tom!" I shouted, excited to find it was my brother that was directly on top of me.

"Addie!" he shouted back, equally happy. Danny and Dougie had gotten off of me to let me hug my brother, but Harry was still there, apparently wanting one first.

"I missed you so much!" I said, squeezing my brother.

"Harry, and I say this for the millionth time, get off of my daughter," my dad said as he walked through the door. Harry turned red and jumped up; Tom helped me get up.

"Yes, Mr. Fletcher, sir. Sorry, sir." I giggled. Harry and Daddy were just giving each other a hard time. Daddy thought Harry was alright and Harry thought Daddy was awesome because he used to have a mullet.

"Well, don't just stand there!" Danny said after Mum and Dad went to their rooms to watch the telly. "Give us a hug!" I laughed again and gave Danny a hug, nearly taking the life out of him. He groaned, but hugged me back just as hard. Then I gave Dougie a hug, and he blushed immensely, and finally, Harry.

"Finally!" he exclaimed, whirling me in the air as he wrapped his arms around me.

"Hey guys, do you notice something... different about Adelaide?" Tom asked, a hand under his chin. Danny, Dougie, and Harry cocked their heads to the side as they inspected me.

"Her hair is longer," Harry suggested. Tom and I rolled our eyes.

"Nah," said Danny as he started to circle me like a vulture. "There's something else."

"I know!" Tom shouted. "She's gotten taller." We all shouted with excitement and ran to where mine and Tom's rooms were and stopped outside of mine.

"Get a pen!" I shouted, prancing excitedly as Dougie pulled a Sharpie from his back pocket.

"Got one. Now, you know the drill." I backed up to my door frame, standing as straight as I could as Tom drew a line where the back of my head touched the white painted wood.

I stared at the line. "How much more is that?" We crowded around it, trying to make the difference between the new line and the previous one.

"I think it's just a few... trillion-billion-ths of a half of a millimeter," said Harry, squinting. I playfully punched him in the arm.

"Is not. I _have_ grown taller," I said. Dougie wandered over to Tom's old room and studied the door frame, which was just as marked with lines.

"You're the same height as Tom when he was... thirteen?!" The boys started laughing at me. I felt my face heat up.

"You're lying!" I pushed Danny out of the way to see for myself._ Eleven,twelve, thirteen,_ I mentally counted the ages next to the groups of marks, and stopped at the one they mentioned. I looked at it, then glanced back at the one they just made.

Oh, crap.

"It's okay," said Harry as he patted the top of my head. "You're not short, you're fun sized."

"Thank you, Harry," I replied, hugging him. My arms reached around his waist.

"I don't think she's much fun," Dougie suddenly said. "She didn't meet us at the airport." His lips poked out in a playful pout, arms crossed over his chest.

"Yeah, what was that about?" said Tom as we followed him into his old room. He picked up an old guitar that was sitting in the corner and sat on the bed, tuning it. I sat down next to him with a huff and rested my head on his shoulder.

"Mum and Dad said that it was a school night and that I needed to get to sleep in case you came back late. I think they were expecting me to go to bed early."

"Yeah, right," Danny scoffed. "You'll stay up until four in the morning- oh, remember that one time?!"

"You mean when Dougie fell asleep first and we turned the telly to Godzilla and told him that we dropped his lizard in radio-active waste?" I said excitedly.

"Yeah!" Tom exclaimed, out-of-tune guitar forgotten. "And he woke back up and believed us cos he was so tired!" We all started laughing very loudly, with the exception of Dougie, when Harry stopped suddenly.

"I don't remember that," he said, his blue eyes cloudy as he tried to remember.

"That's because you fell asleep second," I reminded him.

"Ahhh."

"Yeah, we dyed your-" Tom quickly did "earmuffs" to me. I watched Danny babble silently as he made weird facial expressions and made kinda scary hand motions. He finally stopped and was laughing like a donkey when Tom removed his hand from my ears.

"I don't remember any of _that_," I said, my eyes wide.

"You went to the bathroom when we did that. Innocent ears!" He almost shouted at Danny.

"Oh, come on! I'm not _that_ innocent!" I wailed as I threw my hands in the air in exasperation.

"Have you-" Tom wiggled his thick eyebrows at me.

"No!" I exclaimed in embarrassment, my face quickly growing red.

"Alright then," he said smugly. "That's a good thing though, because the bloke that did that, I'd feel sorry for him! I'd-"

I lost my sense of hearing once again as this time Harry cupped his calloused drummer's hands over my ears as Tom made worse gestures than Danny. I started to cringe and turned away from my brother, hiding in Harry's chest.

"Alright, you've scared her enough," Harry claimed as he uncovered my ears, stopping Tom mid-grisly-sentence. He looked at my posture and shrugged.

"Do you want me to remain a virgin for my whole life?" I questioned. Dougie snickered.

"You know I'd make you wear a chastity belt if I could find one. I'm surprised I haven't gotten any calls from Mum or Dad about guys trying to knock down our door." A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, displaying the dimple we shared.

"Well, there is this guy at school..." I said doubtfully. "But he only fancies me because I'm about the only girl whose knickers he doesn't have a pair of."

"Ah, well, if that's why he like you, I'm glad you don't feel the same way."

"Yeah, he's not good enough for our little Addie, is he?" Danny teased.

Ugh, _little_ Addie.

"Kids! Supper's ready!" Mum's voice rang through the small house, claiming the attention of four hungry boys and myself.

We ran out of Tom's room, getting stuck in the doorway because we were trying to get out at the same time, and, after a brief struggle, took our seats at the dinner table just as Mum set down the last dish.

"So, did I miss any important phone calls while we were away?" asked Tom, piling the mashed potatoes on his plate. I glared at him, silently telling him not to eat them all. He slowly put the serving spoon back. Mum and Dad shifted uncomfortably in their seats as they answered Tom's question, and I did too as I remembered.

"Well, we did get one call," said Dad.

"It wasn't very nice," I added, my eyes glued to my plate.

"What was it?" Tom was curious and studying each of us. Dougie, Harry, and Danny all exchanged confused looks. Tom looked me in the eye, knowing that I would crack.

"Somebody claiming to be from the hospital called and said that you and Danny got in a bad car wreck and that you were in the hospital." The boys were shocked, and Tom and Danny had their mouths hanging open. A bit of corn fell out of Danny's mouth and I cringed in disgust.

"They called your mum, too, Danny," Mum said quietly.

A sudden look of understanding dawned on Danny's face. "That's what that weird call was!" he said to Tom. Tom's face wore a similar expression, as did Dougie and Harry.

"Oh, don't enlighten us. Just sit there and communicate telepathically." Everyone at the table stared at me in disbelief. "What?" I asked, shrugging. "I like to know what's going on. And to find out that you knew? We were worried sick!" Actually, Mum and Dad and Danny's parents were worried sick; I was freaked out like hell. I mean, sure, I was worried about Danny, but Tom understands me like no one else. I swear, sometimes I think we were born five _seconds_ apart instead of years.

"Alright, Adelaide," Dad said. "We're the parents, let _us_ do the nagging." I couldn't help but laugh at that.

"So, you got a phone call, and...?" My mother encouraged the conversation.

"Yeah, me mum called," Danny spoke up. "She was really upset, in hysterics and everything. Turns out some one had called her too and said the same thing. She was so relieved when she found out what had happened." There was an uncomfortable silence in the room, a rare thing at our house. I guess we were all thinking the same thing: How could a person be so horrible to do that?

Dougie cleared his throat and grinned. "Thanks for inviting us to dinner, Mrs. Fletcher."

And then the tension was gone.

Mum smiled as Harry grabbed a roll from the basket in the center of the table. "Well, you boys hadn't had a real meal in a long time, so I figured I'd share Tom's homecoming feast before you went home."

"So thank Tom," I added, grinning.

"THANKS, TOMMY!" Harry shrieked. Tom smirked, his mouth full of potatoes and gravy.

* * *

I laughed so hard I rolled off the bed. "Are you serious?"

Tom nodded, brushing away tears as I crawled back on the bed. "But don't tell," he said, completely serious. I put my hand over my heart and grinned.

I have to say, the best part about Tom coming home is the one night he spends here before he goes back to his house with the guys. He tells me about all the Hi-Jinks that went on during the tour, most of the time secrets about the other boys that they don't have the slightest clue that Tom, and now myself, knows.

"Well, I guess now you know not to feed Danny before bed-time."

"You're telling me!" I giggled, but tried to be quiet about it. Mum and Dad had gone to bed about an hour ago and warned us about the volume level. Last time Tom came home, we woke up the neighbors.

But of course, we still managed to wake Mum and Dad up. Dad appeared at the doorway, a grumpy frown on his face, and I didn't have to be told twice to go to bed. I scampered off to my own room as Dad left.

"Night, Tom," I whispered loud enough for him to hear.

"Night, Addie." It was silent for a while, and I stared at the dark ceiling. Then-

"Hey, Addie?"

"What?"

"Pbttt." We both erupted in silent giggles, and I heard a soft _thump _as this time Tom fell out of the bed.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I've got many many chapters written and ready to post, just waiting to see how well-received this is :) Let me know what you think!


	2. Unfinished Exams

The only sound that was present, other than the steady breathing of my fellow classmates, was the buzzing of a fly as it flew laps around the hot classroom. I was on the last question of my last exam. As soon as I finished I could go home and ask Tom to show me some more chords on the guitar.

The fly kept distracting me, though. Whenever I would put my pencil to the paper, it would zoom in front of my face, scaring the living daylight out of me. I put my pencil down and watched the fly buzz toward the window. The fly disappeared after that, but I kept looking out the window. I knew that I should get back to my exam, but I couldn't tear myself away. My mind began to wander as I watched four figures mess around on the football field, which was visible through the open window. They were being so loud, screeching and laughing, that it was really starting to bug me. The laughs all sounded different: a high-pitched giggle, a low chuckle, a donkey call, and the last sounded like the person was using all of their breath and energy.

I froze as I recognized those laughs; it was laughter I had almost grown up with. My horror increased as they got closer because I could see the sun reflecting off of Dougie Poynter's lipring.

Somehow, I think I knew I wasn't going to finish my exam on the correct day.

They weren't going in my direction originally, but something caught their attention.

"Adelaide!" My teacher screeched. "Would you care to tell me what is so interesting outside?"

"Uh... no."

Tom had given Ms. Pringle more than a rough time while he was here, and because of that she had always harboured an unfair hatred for me. Thanks, bro.

When I answered her, I was being dead serious, but she thought I was being cheeky. And, unfortunately, her squawking caught the attention of Tom, Harry, Dougie, and Danny.

"Hey, did you hear that?" said Danny.

"Someone shouted Addie's name," said Dougie.

"More like screeched," said Tom, and I could picture his face as he put two and two together. Seconds later, his face popped up in the window, brightening as he noticed I was sitting right next to it. "Hey, Addie. What's up?" Right after he uttered those words, Danny, Dougie, and Harry appeared next to him. Harry winked at me, Danny waved his fingers at me, head resting on his hands, and Dougie grinned, his cheeks that filled his dimples a bright pink.

"Adelaide Fletcher! Get back to your -" The elderly woman gasped and clutched her heart when she caught sight of my brother and our friends. "You!" she gasped, pointing a bony finger at Tom.

"Hey, Ms. P, what's shakin'?" The whole class and our three visitors laughed, knowing that Tom was only talking like to spite Ms. P because she taught English. Her face turned red, either from being laughed at or Tom's disrespect for her subject. Probably both.

"How dare you disrespect me and my class by disrupting it! I should-"

"Ahem." She slowly turned to face Dougie. "What?"

"I do believe it's 'my class and I' ." She became furious and slammed the window shut; Danny moved his hands just in time. She turned back to Tom, who had climbed through the window earlier to deliver his greeting.

"Get out!" she shouted.

"Aw, come on! What's wrong with visiting your baby sister?" Tom said, grinning at me.

"Everything when it's during an exam! I want both of you out of this school, now!" I felt the blood drain out of my face when she said this.

"But I'm not finished!" I protested.

"Too bad!" she said, snatching the small stack of papers from my desk. "You fail anyway! If I see you on this campus before graduation, _if_ you are allowed to graduate with your class, I'll call the principle!" Then she all but threw us out of the room.


	3. Tire Swings and Black Tissues

We were silent on the walk to his car. It was an electric blue Mini-Cooper. Harry was in the front and Danny and Dougie were in the back. I climbed in between them and rested my head on the backseat, blowing out a gust of air.

"We're sorry, Addie," Dougie muttered.

"It's okay," I choked out. I tried to keep my speaking as small as possible because I was about to start crying, I could feel it. My throat was hurting and my eyes were stinging.

"Yeah, we didn't mean to make you fail," Harry said sincerely, twisting in his seat to look at me.

I couldn't help it; I immediately dissolved into tears. Danny put his arm around my shoulder and I put my head on his, starting to sob uncontrollably. He kept telling me that it was okay, smoothing my hair reassuringly. The whole way home Tom kept sneaking glances at me in the rear view mirror, his face guilt ridden.

When we got home I ran right past Mum and went to the backyard to sit on our tire swing. I having such a hard time seeing because of my tears that I couldn't hold it still long enough to slip my short legs through the hole. A hand came out of nowhere and grabbed the rope to hold it steady.

"Thanks, Danny," I sniffed as he also helped me get in. I wrapped my hands around the rope and rested my chin on the black rubber.

"No problem." He sat down at the base of the tree in silence as I kicked my feet like a child, not quite reaching the ground. I suddenly remembered the mascara I had put on this morning.

Crap. I probably looked like some terrifying monster that barbecues kids or something. I wiped a finger underneath my eye, and sure enough, when I pulled it back it was covered in black. I sighed and rubbed it off on my blue jeans. This day was definitely one of the suckiest ones I'd ever had. I can't believe I won't be graduating with my class...

I know that she seemed to only _threaten_ to do that, but she doesn't make threats or empty promises. And I was really looking forward to graduating, too. Not that I had any friends or anything. Don't get me wrong; people don't hate me or pick on me, it's just that I don't know how to act since everyone knew Tom and know that I'm his sister. I think they expect me to be just as talented, but so far I haven't lived up to anyone's expectations, including my own.

You see, I tried to start a band because Dad and Tom have been teaching me stuff, but all the people that showed only wanted to be in it so they could meet Tom. After that I decided I had had enough of trying to get along with my shallow fellow school mates.

I noticed that Danny had left when I looked over at the tree. I sighed again. I wasn't that surprised, really. Nobody wants to be around a Moping Myrtle.

I placed my head back in its original position and closed my eyes, listening to the wind move the leaves on the huge tree, creating a soothing rustling sound.

"Hey, Addie?" I opened my eyes to see Danny standing in front of me, holding a handful of tissues. "I thought you might need some of these, but I didn't know how many, so I just grabbed some..." he trailed off, scratching the back of his neck. I smiled weakly in appreciation. "Oh, and I wet one so I could get that black runny stuff off your face." I grimaced.

"Thanks, Danny." He nodded as he got on his knees and began to gently wipe off my face.

I looked at his face and giggled. His eyebrows were bent down in concentration and his tongue was sticking out the corner of his mouth. Adorable.

"What are laughing at?" he said, laughing a bit himself.

"Oh, nothing." Then a thought popped into my head. "Just the fact that many girls would kill to be in my place, with Danny Jones on his knees in front of me." He grinned and started wiping my face with a dry tissue.

"I heard your mum on the phone with somebody from the school,and I think she's got some good news for you." A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he said this. It piqued my curiosity so I slid out of the swing. We walked together into the house through the screen door on the back porch. Mum was still on the phone and motioned for me to sit down in the kitchen chair next her.

"Yes, I understand. But it wasn't- yes, I know, it wasn't her fault! No, she didn't. They didn't. Mm-hmm. Yes, I see." I cocked my head to the side, about to say something, but Mum put her finger to her lips as she continued her conversation. "Would you, sir? There was only one left. Oh, thank you, sir!" Mum cupped her hand over the mouthpiece. "Addie, it's the principle." My heart skipped a beat.

"What does he want?"

"He'll let you finish your exam, and won't fail you. He also says you can graduate with your class." I almost started crying again. Out of happiness, of course.

"I don't have to go back to school do I?"

"No, he said since it's only one question, you can answer over the phone." She removed her hand to speak in it once more. "Here she is."

I took it with a trembling hand. "Hello?"

"Hello, Adelaide, are you ready?"

"Yes, sir." He asked me the question, and I had to let him know that I was planning on answering; I just needed a bit of time. Then I gave my answer, and heard the scratching of his pen as he wrote it down.

"Alright, thank you, Adelaide. As usual, you will get your exam results on the day of your graduation. I'll see you Friday." We said goodbye, then hung up. I immediately launched myself on my mother, giving her the biggest hug I had ever given in my entire life.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I squealed! Mum chuckled and pried my arms from her neck. "You should go thank your brother; he's the one that told me."

"He's still here?" She nodded and pointed to his room.

I drew in a deep breath before I slowly knocked on the door. "Come in," came the muffled reply, along with the twanging of a guitar. I opened the door and sat on his bed, crossing my legs Indian style.

"Oh, hey," he said as he noticed it was me. He set aside the guitar. "Listen, Addie, I'm really-"

"Thank you so much, Tom!" I squealed, hugging him in the same fashion as Mum. I could tell he was very confused so I explained. "Mum said that you told her what happened so she called the school and I got to finish my exam and I get to graduate with my class!" His dark eyebrows were raised with surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah!" I said, just as excited as he was. "All because you were a big boy and told Mum what YOU did." He grinned at me, no teeth, and continued trying to tune the guitar. I grew frustrated as I watched him struggle with it. "Hey, let me try."

"I can get it." He was completely engrossed in it, and didn't see my pretend hurt face until I sighed loudly. "Fine, you try." He handed it to me as if he doubted I could do it. I doubted it too, because I had never tuned a guitar by ear before.

So I pressed my ear next to the wooden and body and strummed each sting individually.

Oh, that B string. My favorite comedian is right: B does stand for "Bitch" string. After I plucked it a few times, I noticed something. That B string doesn't sound like a B string...

I pulled away from the guitar to study the strings and noticed why the B string didn't sound right. It was because it _wasn't _a B string. I giggled when I realized this and handed the guitar back.

"What, can't do it?" he said smugly.

"Nope, because you strung it wrong." He stared at me with his mouth hanging open, until he realized I spoke the truth. He suddenly jumped up, pulling his phone out of his pocket and calling somebody.

"What are you doing?" I asked, watching him as paced back and forth.

"I'm calling the guys to let them now how my little sister figured out what I couldn't for my whole life." He smiled at me, but then turned his attention back to the small gadget in his hand. "Hey, Harry, guess what- really? Cool. Want me to ask her?" I raised my eyebrows in interest. "Harry says they're going to go see Batman tonight. Wanna come?" My expression must have been comical - eyebrows raised higher than before, mouth hanging open in a grin, shoulders tensed with excitement, and hands clasped tightly. I squealed and nodded my head quickly. Tom laughed and continued his conversation with Harry. "Yeah, she's coming. What time?" As he and Harry chit-chatted, I bounced into my room and started to pick out something to wear for tonight.

Hmm... Should I go for laid back, or slightly dolled up?

Both.

I pulled out a white knee-length spaghetti-strapped cotton summer dress, a pair of neon green tights, and sky blue low cut Converse. Then I yanked open a drawer and pulled out two hot pink chunky bracelets, a red multi-faceted plastic bead necklace, and a chunky black plastic ring. Then I pulled a thin yellow scarf off of a hanger in my closet and arranged the outfit to go the way I planned it to look on me.

It was very... bright.

"Whoa, where are you going tonight?" I looked behind me and saw Daddy standing in my doorway.

"Tom said that the guys are going to see Batman at the cinema and that I could go with them."

"Oh." He seemed surprised. "You're not going on a date?"

"No, Daddy," I said with a sigh. _I don't go on dates._ He stood there for a moment, as if he didn't believe me. He finally left. As soon as he did, Tom appeared.

"Hey, we're gonna leave in a few minutes. Go ahead and do whatever you've got to do. We'll meet up at my place, and we'll set off from there." I nodded and closed to door, getting ready. After I got dressed, which really took a while, I pulled my hair up in a ponytail and swept my bangs to the side of my face. I put on some mascara, and red lipstick with some gloss to make it shine. Then I grabbed my orange knit purse and left with Tom.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Okay, I went on a posting frenzy of sorts. I never update this often, it's just that I already have 10+ chapters written and I was just really excited when I realized that I could technically post this story here. I put a lot of work into this one, so please tell me what you think. Constructive criticism and suggestions are always welcome!


	4. Unexpected Exercise

"Woah, Addie, role playing as the rainbow?" Danny joked when he first saw my outfit.

"Nah, she just ate a whole bag of Skittles on the way here," Tom replied. I hit them both over the head with my purse as Harry and Dougie giggled like little girls.

"Are you excited about seeing the movie?" Danny asked me. I nodded enthusiastically.

"I've seen every single Batman movie- even the flops. But I love them all." He nodded in understanding.

"Hey, Addie!" Harry shouted jumping in between me and Danny. "Are you looking forward to seeing the movie tonight?" I giggled and Danny grinned. "What? What'd I say?"

"Danny just asked me the same question." I giggled again. "Well, close to the same."

"Ah, I missed that giggle," said Tom, walking beside us, Dougie on the opposite side.

"Me too," Danny agreed, while Harry attempted to give me a noogie. I quickly dodged it though, because I didn't want my hair to get messed up.

"I tried too hard to do this without messing up," I told him strictly, but at the same time with a grin. We chit-chatted for a while as we walked to the cinema.

"Hold on a sec," Dougie suddenly said. "I've got to tie my shoes." We weren't too far from the cinema now, and I was gazing adoringly at the Dark Knight poster with Christian Bale on it. As Dougie bent down to tie his shoes, a group of girls about my age or younger passed by us. Harry and Tom were horsing around, and if they weren't we might have been able to prevent what happened next.

The gaggle of girls stopped shortly after they passed our small group, whispering amongst themselves and looking back at us every few seconds. I noticed and felt a little crawly feeling in my stomach. Danny was staring up at the stars and I nudged him, my anxiety building. "What?"

"You see those girls over there?" I whispered to him pointing as discreetly as I could. He peeked over at them at the same time one of the girls looked at him. She let out a high pitched giggle and started whispering excitedly to the others. Danny looked back at me with a slightly panicked expression. Harry and Tom were drawn to us because of our sudden silence.

"What's wrong?" whispered Tom.

"Why are you whispering?" asked Harry. Danny jerked his head toward the group of girls. Harry glanced in their direction (receiving another burst of subdued giggles) and looked at us like we were being babies. "Don't be such babies," said Harry. "They're just some fans."

Then he made the biggest mistake: he waved them over, a huge and friendly grin on his face.

They all screamed like banshees and and began to chase us without any hesitation. We took off in the opposite direction, dragging a protesting Dougie along ("I'm not finished tieing my shoe!"). The girls screeched and shouted at us as we ran as fast as our legs could carry us. I was having a difficult time; running was definitely not one of my strengths, and I was considering asking one of the boys for help, but I was too out of breath to do so.

The screaming was less deafening and I realized it was because two of them had left. And they had left because Dougie had climbed up a light pole. I would have laughed at him if we weren't still being chased.

"Guys?! Don't leave me!" wailed Dougie.

"We'll come back for you!" Tom managed to get out before being tackled to the ground by three very, erm, _hefty_ girls.

"Tom!" I shrieked, a hand out-stretched to him.

"Go on without me!" came a muffled response. I saw his face briefly before the girls smothered him in kisses, making my brother completely invisible. Danny pulled me away from my brother, since he, Harry, and I were still being chased.

These girls were good runners, I have to give them credit for that. Suddenly, Harry dove into the pond of the nearby park, his arms and legs pulling him farther and farther away. About five girls jumped in without hesitation, while three went around and trailed him on land.

Then it was just me and Danny. I breathlessly laughed in disbelief. My legs felt as if they were either going to give out or fall off when Danny suddenly jerked me into a dark and secluded alley. We hid in the darkness as the girls stampeded past, the noise of their screams and Spares-clad feet making them sound similar to some type of jungle animal. Their screams of fan-girl-ism lasted long after we could see them.

"I think they're gone," Danny whispered, slightly out of breath. He grasped my hand firmly as he led me out of the darkness and into the dimly lit street.

"I don't know," I whispered cautiously. "They might be in the trees." Danny peeked up each tree near us, then shook his head, signaling that it was safe. "Should we go find them?"

"Yeah, I guess." We crept in the shadows, careful not to be seen by any lurking teenies, retracing our steps to find my brother and two friends. We saw a large pair of wet footsteps, followed by masses of smaller wet ones that looked as if they had been trampled over by dry feet. We called out Harry's name and looked for him a bit, but couldn't find him. Same thing goes for when we got to where we last saw Tom and Dougie.

"Do you think they're okay?" I asked Danny as we stopped for a break, our feet sore from all the walking. Danny nodded and sat down on the ground; I remained standing and leaned against Dougie's abandoned light pole, not wanting to get my white dress dirty. Mum would kill me if I brought it home looking dingy again.

"Yeah, they're fine," he said with a shrug. I nodded, then sighed, looking down at my slightly dusty shoes. Danny looked up at me, detecting the small note of sadness in my sigh. "What's wrong?"

"Nah, it's- it's stupid."

"Go on! Tell Me!" Danny was grinning lopsidedly, making me smile in return. "I won't make fun of you."

I stood there for a moment, slightly swaying from side to side as I debated on telling him. "Alright." I took a deep breath and tried to phrase my thought so I didn't sound as selfish as I thought I did. "I... I just really wanted to go see Batman tonight."

Danny laughed a full out laugh, tilting his head back and using all of his breath. I felt a bit ashamed, but Danny noticed my expression and quickly restrained himself.

"Sorry; I promised I wouldn't laugh. We can still go see it if you want. The cinema's not that far away now." I was surprised.

"Really?"

"Yeah, sure!" He grinned up at me again. "Let's go now." I had to help him get up from his seat on the ground; I pulled his hand so hard that when he finally got up I almost went flying with inertia. He had to grab me by the shoulders to stop me. Then we walked, giggling and grinning, to the cinema.

* * *

Author's Note, 7/16/2013: I updated this once today, and I'll add the next chapter sometime tonight. I just finished writing another, so there should be no delays in updates!


	5. That Tramp

Danny walked me home before going back to his house that he shared with Tom, Harry, and Dougie.

"I had fun, " Danny said, a foolish grin on his face.

"Oh, me too. Loads. I just love being chased by my brother and his band's fans. It's my favorite activity." Sarcasm was dripping from voice, but I was smiling to show that I really did have fun. He laughed, then turned around, climbing into his car and speeding off.

After I closed the door, I discovered with a jump that my father was asleep in the recliner in the living room. The door had woken him up, and he was blinking sleep away from his eyes as he noticed my sudden appearance.

"Ad-Addie? What time is it?" We looked at our watches at the same time, and I was surprised to find that it was 1:45 AM. He looked at me as sternly as he could at this time in the morning. "Isn't it a bit late for you to be back now?"

"I'm sorry, Daddy, but we got-" My sentence was interrupted by an enormous yawn. I shuddered from the force of it. "We got chased and-" I yawned again, and Daddy held his hand up, newspaper still in it.

"You can tell me and Mum about it in the morning- err, _later_ in the morning."

"All right. Night, Daddy." I went upstairs to my room and got changed into my pajamas, climbing into the bed shortly after.

* * *

"Good morning, Sunshine. Have fun last night?" I opened my eyes reluctantly, raising a hand to guard them from the sunlight that was pouring through my curtains. I looked at the person who was sitting next to my bed in annoyance.

"What do you want, Tom?" He rested his head in his hand, his brown eyes shining brightly at me.

"I just wanted to have the joy of waking my little sister up to see how much sleep she got."

"I could have gotten more if you didn't wake me up."

"Why are you so cranky?"

"Why are you so annoying?"

We stared at each other for a few moments, and then I just had to smile.

"Does it feel like we just switched places for a few seconds?"

Tom nodded, also grinning. "Yeah, it was a bit weird. Do you remember waking me up when you were little?" I nodded, loving the memory.

"I would keep telling you to wake up, and if you didn't, I would pinch your nose. When you couldn't breathe anymore you finally woke up."

"I thought he slept with his mouth open, like the brain dead idiot he is?" I threw a pillow at the person who slipped into our conversation without permission.

"Harry, get out!" Harry grinned and slipped out the door. "You too, Tom. I need to get dressed."

"Alright, I'll see you downstairs." He left, and I began looking through my closet for something to wear. Well, tonight is graduation, so I should pick something that will feel comfortable underneath the navy nylon gown. I walked into the kitchen wearing a black pair of sweatpants that had been cut into capris and a lime green shirt that had stripes on it, making it look like I was a green tiger.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked Tom as I grabbed a bagel out of the fridge and put it into the toaster.

"Doug and Danny are at home."

"I heard Dougie moving about in his room, and Danny was still asleep," said Harry. I opened a cabinet and reached for a container of un-opened cream cheese, but my fingers just couldn't make it. Harry grabbed the dairy product with ease and handed it to me with a smirk. I smiled at him when he gave it to me, then whacked him on the head with it.

"So you guys just left Dougie?" I asked, leaning against the counter and waiting for my breakfast to be done.

"Hey, we were ready to come on over here. We didn't want to wait on Dougie. You know how long he takes to get ready." Harry's voice had taken on an edge of defense. I smirked.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. He takes longer than I do." We had all learned this when we wanted to go to a party, but ended up being so late it wasn't worth going. All because Dougie couldn't find his Blink 182 T-shirt.

"So..." Tom said after a few moments of silence. "Graduation is only a few hours away." I groaned.

"Yeah, I know. Do you think Gran and Grandpa will make it?" I asked hopefully.

"Probably not," he said realistically. "You know that they live pretty far away. Besides, they didn't make it for my graduation, what makes you think that they'll do it for you?" A grin teased the corner of my brother's mouth.

"Maybe they will. They _do_ love me more."

"Oh, _please_," Tom rolled his eyes.

"No, really! I am the only granddaughter."

"And I'm the only grandson." We both laughed, Harry joining in shortly after.

"Wait, what?" Tom and I laughed even harder at Harry's blatant lack of an attention span.

"Nothing," I assured Harry. "Just sibling rivalry."

"Oh. Cool." He continued staring out the window as my breakfast jumped out of the toaster and onto my plate. I started buttering one half of the bagel, set it down, and started buttering the other half. I had just bitten into it when Tom grabbed the half I had recently buttered and took a large bite out of it.

"Tom!" I protested, my mouth open in surprise and frustration.

"Do you want it back?" he asked after licking it, his mouth full of the blueberry encrusted bread.

"Nuh-uh," I replied, my face screwed up in disgust. Harry had been paying attention this time, so he burst out laughing when Tom took the bagel. I glared at them both and sat down on the sofa to watch some TV and finish what remained of my breakfast.

"Ooh! SpongeBob!" Tom and I shouted at the same time. Harry rolled his eyes and sat down on Tom's lap.

"I love you, Tom," said Harry once the commercials were on.

"I love you, too, Harry," Tom replied seriously. It looked as if they were about to kiss, when the front door suddenly swung open, so hard that it banged against the wall and slammed back into it's original place. Harry, Tom, and I froze, not really sure of what just happened. The door opened once again and there stood Dougie and Danny, Dougie on Danny's back in the form of a piggy back ride. We stared at them and they stared at us, each group not knowing how to take in the other's positions. Finally, Danny and Dougie made the first movement: Dougie hopped down from Danny's back. Danny pretended to get angry.

"Harry, what- what are you doing? You - you cheatin' on me?" He, Tom, and Harry exchanged looks before Harry leapt off of Tom's lap.

"Danny! It's not what it looks like, I swear!"

"Oh yeah? Who is that tramp?"

"Nobody! He's- he's Nobody!"

"Harry, how could you?!" said Tom in the perfect jealous/hurt tone. "You said you loved me!"

"Well!" Danny exclaimed. "That makes two of us!" Then he and Tom marched out the door, arm in arm. They came back less than three seconds later. Dougie and I clapped rapidly for their performance.

"Bravo!" I said excitedly. "Bravo!" They bowed dramatically, both laughing.

"You didn't wait on us," said Dougie, pointing an accusing finger at Harry, who shrugged nonchalantly.

"You were going to take too long. We can't wait all day for you - Addie's graduating at five o'clock." I gasped and looked at my watch.

"That's only an hour away!" I slapped Tom on the shoulder. "Why didn't you wake me up earlier?!" He winced as my hand made contact with his now tender shoulder.

"You fussed at me bad enough when I woke you up; I figured it couldn't hurt to let you sleep in a bit."

"A bit?! I've got to get ready _now_!" I sprinted up to my room. As soon as I slammed the door shut, I quickly brushed my curly blond hair and tucked my fringe behind my ears, using a green headband to keep them in place. I had just finished tieing my shoes when Mum threw my door open.

"Hurry up! We've go to go now!"

"I know! Tom woke me up a few minutes ago!"

"That boy," she said with a roll of her eyes. We both ran out the house and into the car, Dad already waiting behind the wheel.

"Wait for us! Wait for us!" Tom shouted as he and Harry, Dougie, and Danny dashed out of the house.

"Don't wait for them!" I shouted to my parents. Dad obligingly stepped on the gas. I laughed out all of the air from my lungs when I saw the look on Tom's face as we sped off.


	6. Graduation Day

I fidgeted with the tassel on my hat as I waited for my name to be called, looking out into the crowd for my family. Mum and Dad were sitting down in the folding metal chairs. Mum caught my eye and waved. I waved back, then frowned when I saw that the four seats next to her were empty.

_Crap_. I hoped against hope that they didn't do anything to embarrass me.

My class was sitting in the same type of chairs as the audience, and they made squeaky noises every time you moved. I opened up the bulletin they gave us, and briefly looked over it.

_5 P.M.- Greeting_

_5:30 - Valedictorian Speech_

_6:00 - Awards & Diplomas_

_8:00 - Closing Ceremony_

Blahhh. This was going to take a while. Fifteen minutes after the principal finished speaking, the valedictorian of our class was at the podium, his voice filling the auditorium. I dropped the paper in my hands and bent down to pick it up.

_Squeeeeak_.

I resisted the urge to giggle as I froze, my fingertips inches from the paper. I reached a little more to get it.

_Sqeeeeeeeak_.

I quickly snatched the paper up, my face red. The girl next to me giggled quietly under her breath. Then she leaned over slightly.

_Squeak_. We both giggled, trying our hardest not to make it audible.

This went on for the whole of the speech, and I didn't mind missing it. Soon after, it was time for the Awards and Diplomas.

"Denise Arnsberger." The girl stood up to receive her diplomas and awards. She shook hands with the principle, then returned to her seat. The principle went down the list of students alphabetically. It seemed like ages until he got to the F's.

"Arlene Felder."

"Brittany Fleming."

"Adelaide Fletcher."

As I made my way to the principle, I quickly scanned the audience. When I saw Mum and Dad, I returned the smile they sent me, then again checked the four seats next to them.

They were still empty.

My high hopes crashed - no, _plummeted_, feeling as if my heart had been broken. I felt numb as I accepted my papers. Sure, they had just missed me getting my diplomas. Maybe they were in the loo. _But it's not fair! _I argued with myself once I was in my seat again. During Tom's graduation, I had to pee really bad, but I held it until it was completely over; which was quite a feat for someone aged thirteen.

Anyway, I held in my disappointment. Soon, the whole thing was over.

"Dad, where are they?"

"Honey, you know that Gran and Grandpa couldn't make it," said Mum soothingly.

"I wasn't talking about them, Mum," I said, slightly frustrated. "My brother and our friends. They're supposed to be here." I bit my bottom lip to keep it from quivering.

"I don't know where they are," said Dad as he scanned the area for the quartet.

"Do you think they're okay?" I asked, my thoughts jumping to the worst things.

"Calm down, love," Dad told me. "They did follow us here; so they're here somewhere."

**Tom Fletcher**

"Harry, stop drumming on my head!" I shouted to the hyper:ACTIVE drummer in the backseat.

Get it? _Hyper_:ACTIVE? Radio:ACTIVE? I quite like the sound of it. Could use it for an album name or something.

I crack myself up.

"Alright Mr. Grump," Harry muttered, folding his arms over his chest.

"Aw, look what you've done!" shouted Danny. "Now he won't play at the graduation!"

"Yes I will!" replied Harry. "But I'll do it for Addie, not you." He then stuck his tongue out at me, like the child he is.

"Thanks mate, I appreciate it," I said with a roll of my eyes.

_An hour later_

"So, what are we gonna play?" Dougie asked once we were at Addie's school.

"Eh, I'm not sure," I said slowly, letting out a deep breath. It was a stress-relief technique that Addie taught me when she was going through her _"Yoga can fix anything!"_ stage.

"'I've Got You?'" suggested Harry.

"Nah."

"'I Wanna Hold Your Hand?' Addie loves The Beatles," said Dougie.

"Nuh-uh," I said, rejecting it also. It was silent as we thought hard.

"'No Worries,'" Danny finally said. We looked up at him in astonishment.

"That's... perfect!" I said, my eyes widening. "Because she's growing up, and she doesn't have to worry about anything 'cos she's got us!"

"Could've done 'I've Got You'", Harry grumbled.

"Quiet, you," I joked. He made a face at me, then went to practice quietly on the drum set we brought with us. As I also sat down to practice, I marveled at my genius plan.

We paid the girls to chase us the previous night on our way to the movie theater. And they were good actresses - they didn't even want to talk to us once they recognized us. _I guess some people just don't appreciate good music_, I thought with a sigh. But it was the plan for us to get separated from Addie and Dan; we were going to sneak back home to arrange permission to play at Addie's graduation, while Danny stayed with Addie so she could see the movie. I was going to go with her, but Danny volunteered, and I didn't really have a reason to say no.

Danny and Dougie were late to my old house because they had to go borrow some sound equipment that they were supposed to get ages ago. And now, I had to miss my sister's graduation so we could prepare for her graduation present.

Well, we didn't have to really miss it; we were right behind the second stage curtain, being as silent as possible so the students wouldn't notice us. I could peek through a crack and see and hear everything. In fact, I was right behind her. I knew it was her because she was wearing a simple silver band on her left middle finger. I had a matching one. They both had something inscribed in on the inside; mine was the title of the song we'll soon be playing, whereas hers is "The heart never lies."

"Mate, it's time to go on," said Doug. I snapped out of my thoughts, and sure enough, I could hear the principle speaking in his annoying Queen's English.

"Alright, let's go."

**Adelaide Fletcher**

Our conversation was interrupted by the principle, who was on the stage of our gymnasium once again, nervously tapping the microphone.

"Excuse me, excuse me. Tom Fletcher and his band would like to give his little sister and the graduating class of two-thousand-and-eight a present."

I let out a sigh of relief; then noticed the sound equipment on the stage. Tom, Harry, Dougie, and Danny filed out onto the stage, each assuming their positions behind their instruments.

"This one's for you, Addie," Danny said into the microphone as Tom began to strum his guitar.

_We ran past strawberry fields and smelled the summer time,_

_When it gets dark I'll hold your body close to mine,_

_And Then we'll find some wood and hell we'll build a fire,_

_And then we'll find some rope and make a swinging tire._

_Captivated by the way you look tonight the light is dancing in your eyes_

_Your sweet eyes,_

_Times like these we'll never forget,_

_Staying out to watch the sunset,_

_I'm glad I shared this with you,_

_You set me free,_

_Showed me how good my life could be,_

_How did this happen to me ,_

_Yeah, oh_

_And then I'll swing you girl until you fall asleep,_

_And when you wake up you'll be lying next to me,_

_We'll go to Hollywood make you a movie star, (movie star!)_

_I want the world to know how beautiful you are,_

_Captivated by the way you look tonight the light is dancing in your eyes_

_Your sweet eyes,_

_Yeah!_

_Times like these we'll never forget,_

_Staying out to watch the sunset,_

_I'm glad I shared this with you,_

_You set me free,_

_Showed me how good my life could be,_

_How did this happen to me ,_

_Yeah_

_There are no secrets to be told,_

_Nothing you don't already know,_

_bum bum bum,_

_We've got no fears of growing old,_

_We've got no worries in the world._

_Ba Ba Ba Da Ba Ba Da_

_Ba Ba Ba Da Ba Ba Da Baaa Ba Da Baaa_

At the end of the song, Tom jumped down and engulfed me in a bear hug.

"We love you, sis."

"I love you too, bro." Tears were running down our faces. I was glad that he finally showed up.

"I'm so proud of you!" he wailed. Suddenly, Harry and Danny leaped off the stage and tackled me and Tom to the ground.

"Dog pile on the Fletchers!" they shouted. Mum and Dad backed away. As soon as those words left their mouths, most of my classmates piled on top of us, making it very difficult for me to breathe.

"Addie," Tom gasped slowly. "Where's Dougie?" I looked up at the stage (which was quite a feat, considering all of the people I was underneath) and gasped.

"Dougie!" Mr. Poynter was still on the stage, a mischievous grin on his face. He stepped back a few meters and started running.

"DOUGIE, NOOO!" Tom and I screamed.

Dougie sailed off the stage, landing square on top of the large pile.

"Dougie, you fat ass, lose some weight!" groaned Tom. Dougie laughed, and wiggled his bum, squishing us even more.

And even though my lungs were flattened inside my chest, my whole body was aching, and I felt like I'd never be able to breathe again, I had never felt more loved in my entire life.


	7. Happy Birthday! Part One

"So, now that you're officially an adult, what are you going to do now?" Danny asked me two weeks later at my birthday party.

"I'd like to move out, of course."

"Where are you going to go?"

"America," I stated simply.

"America? That's a long way... away." I laughed as we sat on a bench.

"That's the point. I'm tired of being stuck under Mum and Dad's wing, I want to be my own person, but that's difficult here. I'm being smothered here. I know they love me and all, but still..."

"Yeah, it's tough. They're just doing what they think is best for you."

"Yeah, what they _think_," I said with a snort.

"Do you know _where_ in America you're going?" he asked after a long and slightly awkward silence.

"New York. I have a friend that lives there in the apartment above her shop."

"Oh, you told me about her. Er... Rainsong, right?"

"It's Rainbow. But her sister Windsong lives there, too."

"Oi! Where's my sister?" I heard Tom bellow. I waved my hand in the air. He saw it and joined Danny and me, slinging his arm around my shoulder.

"What do you want, you obnoxious lump?"

"Alright, just because you're eighteen doesn't mean you can get smart with me." He gave me the most hair-messing noogie ever as he grinned.

"Yeah, you're right," I said grinning. "It's because I'm your sister!"

"Game time!" Mum suddenly shouted. The people I had invited to my party - a few classmates I got along with, the McFly boys and their families - all gathered around my mum.

"What are we going to play?" Vicky, Danny's sister, asked.

"I don't know the name of it," Mum replied, "but it's a game that I played when I was a little girl." She made all of the boys get in a circle and the girls in another. "Addie, Tom, come here, please." We broke out of our circles, then went to our mother, who proceeded to blind-fold us with bandanas. Mine was pink and Tom's was red. "Now, Addie, I'm going to lead you to the circle of boys." I felt my cheeks fire up. "Dear, could you take Tom to the boys?" I knew that Tom had the same reaction as me. When Mum put me in the middle of the circle, I heard nothing but low chuckles coming from the males surrounding me. High-pitched giggles were heard from across the yard as Tom reached his area. "Now, I am going to spin Addie around three times," Mum told us. Dad's deep voice could be heard as he copied Mum. "After I spin her, she's going to go to one of you guys. When she reaches out and touches you, you're the one."

"For what?" asked Dougie. "What does she have to do?" I could almost hear the grin in his voice.

"She has to kiss him." It got _really_ quiet after that. Seconds later, squeals and screams arose from the girls.

"Mum, do I have to play?!" asked Tom nervously.

"Yes. It's Adelaide's birthday, and she deserves to have fun."

"And my fun comes from seeing you squirm."

"You can't see you moron, you're blind-folded!"

"So are you!"

"Mmnnn!" It was the noise he made when he stuck his tongue out.

"Children, behave," our mother chided. "Alright, let's spin 'em!" A little after she said that, she spun me around one, two, three times. "And, go!" I wobbled after she let go of me and tried my hardest to go in a straight line.

"Left! Go left!"

"Don't listen to him, Addie. Go right!"

I stretched my arms out to prevent myself from bumping into anybody. After a short time, my fingertips grazed the surface of somebody's jacket. It felt like soft cotton, the kind hoodies are usually made of. I slowly walked closer, letting my hands roam over the person's face so I could try to put together a mental image of him.

His face was nice and smooth. His nose was small and slightly rounded at the end, and his lips underneath were small, yet full and very smooth. I reached up to feel his hair and smiled. In my hand I held soft curls. I kissed his cheek with a grin before taking off the blind-fold to see who it was.

It was Danny.

He was blushing a deep red, and I had a feeling that I was, too.

"Two more times!" Mum shouted, appearing beside me to spin me once again. I saw who Tom kissed (a girl who looked like it was _her_ birthday) just before Mum took away my sight again. "One, two, three!" That time, all of the guys counted with her. When she let go of my shoulders, I was so dizzy I twirled and landed on the ground, gigling as Mum helped me up.

Once again, I zombie-walked - arms out-stretched, wobbling slightly, a silly smile on my face - into the arms of a boy. His hands were softly calloused, and I didn't even have to guess who it was. A kiss on the cheek, then off came the bandana.

It was Danny, _again_.

I giggled as Mum blind-foolded me one last time. Just before it slipped over my eyes, I caught Danny's eye. He winked at me, causing me to giggle again.

"Last time!" Mum called out. "One, two, _three_!"

I was jerked backwards around the waist and a pair of lips playfully met mine. I quickly yanked off the blind-fold. "Harry Judd!" I shouted, whacking him with the bandanna.

"What?" Harry asked innocently. "Danny was getting all of the loving, and I was getting lonely." He finished his sentence with a pout.

"Aww, poor Harry," I said sympathetically. I wrapped my arms around him in a hug.

"Harry!" my father barked. "On my daughter _again_?" Harry's face paled a little as his arms snapped to his sides after he pushed me away. My father laughed. "I was joking, son. Joking. Lighten up a bit." He turned to me. "Addie, there's someone on the phone for you." I excused myself and skipped into the house, picking up the phone in the kitchen.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Addie! Guess who?'

"Rainbow!" I gasped with delight.

"And Windsong!" her sister chimed in.

"I miss you guys so much!" I exclaimed. "So, how is life in New York?"

"Awesome!" shouted Windsong, while Rainbow stated, "Dirty. Like nature, but worse. But I've got Germex and wipes, so I'm okay."

"I have to ask you guys a favor," I said, slightly nervous. "Can I move in with you?"

"Sure," replied Windsong.

"After you graduate," added Rainbow.

"I already did. A few weeks ago."

"Then why are you still in Europe?" said Windsong. "Get over here!"

"I will, as soon as possible."

"Oh, we have a friend that you have to meet," Rainbow told me. I could hear the excitement bubbling over in her voice.

"Yeah, she lives with me," said Windsong.

"So you can move in with me," finished Rainbow. Suddenly, there was a loud noise in the background. It sounded like pots and pans crashing down, followed by a loud curse.

"That was her," sighed Windsong. "She knocked over the rack of kitchen ware and she probably needs help picking stuff up. Bye."

"Bye," Rainbow and I chimed. "When can you move in?"

"What time would be best?"

Rainbow was silent in thought. "Next month would be good. How is that?"

"Good for me. Mum'll need to talk to you. Let me go get her." I covered the receiver and turned my head toward the door. "MUM!"

"What?!"

"Rainbow wants to talk to you!"

"Okay!" I waited a few seconds for her after she walked through the door, brushing a piece of blue tissue paper off of her blouse. "Addie, go back outside. It's time for the pinata."

"Bye, Rainbow," I said quickly.

"Bye, Addie. Have fun."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Sorry for not updating for a while! Was away visiting my boyfriend this weekend and had a wonderful time just hanging out with him and some much missed friends. Hope this chapter doesn't disappoint!


	8. Happy Birthday! Part Two

Dad decided not to blind-fold me, saying that it was going to be difficult enough. With the help of Tom and Harry he had thrown the paper-mache donkey across the branches of the large tree in our backyard after tieing a long rope to its back.

Dougie handed me the wooden bat, a smirk on his face. "Good luck."

I smiled at him; the kind of smile that said "I'm going to get you." The brightly coloured animal seemed to tease me, its plastic eyes reflecting the Christmas lights strung in the trees. I took a deep breath and swung, missing because the candy-filled animal jumped out of the way at the last second.

"What the hell?!" I exclaimed out loud.

"Hey, watch your mouth, young lady," said Dad, while everyone else cracked up. I looked at his hand and saw the end of the rope disappear into his curled fist.

"Dad!"

"Sorry, Sweetheart, but I can't give you the world on a silver platter." I rolled my eyes and got ready to swing. Dad tugged at the rope, making the pinata jump; as it came back down I swung, knocking the head clear off. Dad released the rope to catch the head and the body came crashing down, catapulting candy into the air. Everybody screamed and clambered to grab some. Dougie took the cardboard head from my dad, somehow fitting it over his own head perfectly.

"Look, Addie!" he shouted, his voice coming out muffled. "I'm a donkey! Hee-haw!"

"Yes. Dougie, I know," I said, smiling sweetly. I patted the cricket bat in my hands that Harry had kindly lent to us. "Harry?" I called out.

"Yeah?" He popped up behind me "What'cha need?"

"If I break this, will you mind?"

"Depends on how and why you break it." I mimed hitting myself on the head, then pointed at Dougie. "Oh," he said, comprehension dawning on his face. But let's give him a fighting chance." He walked over to Dougie, who was blindly bumping into the tree. "Here, mate. Let me help." He pulled the plastic eyes out of the head.

"Thanks, man!" said Dougie. "Now I can - wait, where's Addie?" I let out a war cry that Mel Gibson couldn't beat and tackled him, beating him mercilessly as he dropped to the ground. "Harry!" he cried from inside the mask. "Help me!"

"Sorry, mate." _Whack_. "I'm afraid I can't help." _Whack_.

"_Harry_!" Harry chose this moment to walk away, whistling.

* * *

"So did you have a good birthday, Sweetie?" Mum asked as I got into bed.

"Yup. I had lots of fun. How is Dougie?" I asked conversationly.

"He seems to be okay," she said in a scolding tone. "What did he do to you to deserve such a beating?"

"Mum, you make it sound like I put him in the hospital. He's just a big baby. I only gave him a few bruises and a bloody lip."

"Yes, Addie, but still..." She sighed, then suddenly smiled. "I didn't want to say this in front of the guests, especially his sister, but your father was very proud. He said that he doesn't have to worry about you when you go." Her smile turned to one of sadness. "Do you have to go to New York for school? There are plenty of good universities here..."

"I want to go see new places. You know how I love to travel. Why not do it and get something done at the same time?" She sighed, but kept her smile.

"Well, whatever your decision, just know that your father and I will always stand by you. Unless you get pregnant."

"Mum!"

"Joking!" she laughed. "Good night, Sweetie."

"G'night, Mum."

* * *

**Author's Note:** I meant to post this update not long after the last one, but since I didn't set a time to do it I kinda forget xD So to apologize I'll be updating AGAIN later today :) Also, the next few chapters don't have any titles. I would be so very grateful is you guys could help me name them :)


	9. Chapter 9

"Pajamas?"

"Check."

"Driver's License?"

"Check."

"Phone?"

"Mum, could you stop worrying, please?" I begged. She had been quizzing me for the past fifteen minutes in the airport while we were waiting for my flight. Well, not just _my_ flight. Mum and Dad didn't want me to fly on my own to New York, not that they had a problem with me on a plane. It was just that I had never been to New York before. When Rainbow and Windsong lived in South Carolina, I could go by myself after the first few trips. I quickly knew the state like the back of my hand. Now, I was still going to the east coast, just the more northern part of it.

Anyway, they didn't feel comfortable with me going alone. At first Tom was gonna come, be he got sick last minute. Dougie refused to come near me, but he did tell me good-bye over the phone. Harry had to go somewhere with his family and couldn't come. Danny offered to go, though. He said he had nothing planned for a while. I didn't have a problem with him; in fact, I got along with him best sometimes, but for some odd reason Daddy seemed suspicious.

We were all sitting in a row of seats in front of the screen that listed the flight numbers and times. I had to laugh at Danny's appearance. He had a gray wool cap fitted over his head, allowing only a few chestnut curls to peek out. Large, dark sunglasses covered his blue eyes, and he was wearing a baggy hoodie and shorts to match. He looked like he hadn't shaved for a while.

"Danny?"

"Hmm." It was still quite early for him, so actual speech might take some time.

"Why are you dressed like that?"

"I want to avoid any and all fans we might see today." Okay, so he _was_ gonna talk.

"That's not very nice," I admonished. "They love you."

"And I love them," he replied, a slight smile on his face. "But if they see me got on a plane with a young and pretty girl, they might think I'm dating her."

"You don't want people to think we're dating?" I asked with a grin. I was only joking, but he turned a little red.

"I don't mind, I just thought that you would."

"Nah. I wouldn't bother me. I love ya, Danny." I lightly punched his arm with affection. Then I remembered something else he said. "Wait, you think I'm pretty?"

He laughed, his voice carrying. "Hey, I love ya, Addie. And I don't think you're pretty; I _know_ you are." I was momentarily bewildered by this.

"_Flight 27, now boarding_."

"Addie, did you pack your toothbrush?"

_Damn it._


	10. Chapter 10

"Danny, that's my bag! Grab it! Grab it!" Danny reached out for the neon green suitcase about a second too late. It slipped away from us mockingly as it disappeared into the other side of the luggage carousel for the fifth time. I shot him a look, but he only smiled and shrugged sheepishly.

"I tried."

"Sure you did," I said sarcastically. When the bag reappeared, I nearly tackled it to the ground, pinning it with my knees. "Who's the fast one now?!" Apparently my outburst had been a bit loud. People edged away from me slowly, Danny included.

"What? The bag was evading me," I said simply. Danny faithfully returned to my side and helped me up, taking my bag.

"Let's get you some coffee, eh?" I nodded in agreement. My phone started to ring.

"It's Mum," I said after checking it.

"Go ahead and answer it then. I'll go get the coffee." I smiled in thanks.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Sweetie. How was the flight?"

"Ugh, I don't think I've ever had worse jet lag," I said with a frown.

"You sound grumpy. I bet you didn't get enough sleep last night."

"Yeah, you're right. I've got a massive headache right now too."

"Aww, I'm sorry Addie." I could hear the frown in my mother's voice. "But I've got to go now, work starts soon. Call after you get to Rainbow's flat, okay?"

"Okay, Mum, I will. Promise."

"I love you."

"Love you too, Mum."

"Your coffee, madam."

"Oh, thanks, Danny." I smiled weakly and sat down. "Ugh, not getting sleep is really not good for me," I said with a laugh.

Danny said nothing but chuckled instead.

After ten minutes or so of waiting, I could tell Danny was getting a bit impatient.

"Hey, uh, did your friend say what time she was coming?" He suppressed a yawn as he spoke.

"She should be here any minute, actually," I replied, scanning the crowded airport.

"What does she look like?"

"Umm… she's shorter than me, has long brown hair… she'll most likely be wearing black."

"Oh, I think I saw her at Starbucks." Danny pointed at the small café shop, and sure enough, there sat my American friend.

Huh. What are the odds of that?

As soon as I saw her, she looked up and saw me, waving with a small smile. She got up, drink in hand, and met us.

"Hey Addie," she said, smiling warmly through her tired eyes. "And this is?"

"Oh, this is Danny." He smiled and stuck out his hand for a friendly handshake.

Rainbow stared at it, as if it were a poisonous insect that might attack her at any moment. Danny's smile faltered, but Rainbow quickly shook his hand. She then took a small bottle of Purell from her purse and swiftly disinfected her hands.

"It's nothing personal," she explained to a very confused Danny. "I always keep a bottle with me because everything is so dirty and gross. Plus, I kinda need it because my immune system is much weaker than most. A simple cold could keep me down for weeks."

"Then why did you move here? Addie said you and your sister are from South Carolina." Danny wasn't being snotty or anything like that. He was just curious and genuinely interested.

"Windsong fell in love with this city when we visited one summer. I came so I could start my business. A few months later, a friend came up to help me. She lived with me at first, but later she moved in with Windsong to help with the rent."

And of course came the awkward silence that manages to creep up in every conversation.

"Well, now that I have safely delivered the precious cargo," said Danny with a sarcastic grin, "it's time for me to go. I've got another plane to catch."

Rainbow frowned.

"Danny, that's a lot of plane for one day. You should at least spend one night here; get a good night's rest. Come stay at my apartment; you can sleep on the couch. It folds out into a bed."

I have always loved how kind-hearted Rainbow was.

Danny thought for a while.

"I'll cook you breakfast in the morning," she tempted with a smile. Danny's stomach grumbled right in cue.

"Well, I don't want to intrude or anything…"

"It's just for one night, Danny," I reminded him with a smile. "If it were an intrusion, she wouldn't have offered."

"You _are_ coming," said Rainbow sternly. "I know sleep deprivation when I see it." Danny laughed.

"Okay… thanks, I guess."

"You're welcome," she replied with a smile. Danny helped me with my bags as Rainbow hailed a taxi. We piled into the car after putting my luggage in the trunk. Not too long after Rainbow told the driver our destination, I fell asleep. Shortly after, we were there.

Rainbow's apartment was fairly small as it was directly above the candle shop she ran and owned. It had one cozy kitchen, one bathroom, two bedrooms, and a small living room. She and Windsong told me that it reminded them of a college dorm. I couldn't pass any judgment on this statement because I'd never seen a college dorm before.

Danny didn't even fold out the couch before he flopped down on it. It wasn't long before he was snoring, already in a deep slumber.

Rainbow and I exchanged muffled giggles.

"He looks like a child," I whispered. She nodded in agreement.

"Okay, here's your room."

It was small, but it was the perfect size for me. There was a twin-sized bed against the wall, across from the sliding door closet. Its doors were mirrors on the front. Across the room from the single window, which was above the bed, was a small desk alcove. I opened the drawers and found that one had two packs of paper. Another had a small assortment of pens and mechanical pencils, along with lead and eraser refills. A third drawer contained Hello Kitty stationery: paper, pens, pencils, envelopes, erasers, and even stamps and stickers. I tried not to laugh too loudly as I checked out my Hello Kitty goodies.

Rainbow suddenly appeared in my doorway, already in her pajamas. She smiled, amused by my own amusement.

"Do you like them? Layla picked them out." I assumed that she was the friend that's now living with Windsong.

"How did she know I liked Hello Kitty?"

"Well, we, meaning Layla, Windsong, and myself, went shopping for you – just little knick-knacks to help you feel more at home here." I smiled. Rainbow and Windsong's thoughtfulness would never cease to amaze me.

"We called your mom to find out some more little trinkets that you like, but we didn't really learn anything new," she said with a small laugh. "But Layla actually picked out the Hello Kitty stuff. I think her obsession slightly eclipses yours."

We giggled, but I interrupted myself with a yawn.

"Goodnight, Addie," said Rainbow with a smile.

"Goodnight, Rainbow."

I could hear her small, light footsteps as she went to her own room, the click of the light switch as she darkened her room. I did the same, and didn't even change clothes.

I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.


	11. Chapter 11

A soft sizzling mixed with the scent of frying bacon wafted through the morning air, waking me up after not-near-enough hours of sleep. I stretched, yawning loudly, but stopped abruptly when my foot tapped something at the end of the bed.

I opened my eyes and jumped as I saw the green-eyed tuxedo cat seemingly glare at me, his paws tucked under his body. My initial fear quickly subsided as I realized I was looking at Rainbow's infamous cat, Ringo.

"Good morning, Ringo," I said hesitantly. He narrowed his eyes at me then yowled in response, as if there was _nothing_ good about mornings, thank you very much, and promptly jumped off the bed, the bells on his collar announcing his every step. I saw no need in trying to sleep any longer so I got out of bed and went to the kitchen, a few steps behind the haughty cat.

Rainbow was busy cooking breakfast just as she promised, cracking eggs into a glass bowl as Ringo snaked through her legs in an obvious attempt to win a piece of bacon. Other than the small smile on her face, she seemed to ignore him, dropping nothing. He quickly realized it wasn't working and ceased his fruitless efforts, skulking off into what I presumed to be her room.

"Good morning, Addie," Rainbow greeted me. She poured the eggs into a hot skillet and stirred them around with a spatula. _It looks like she's making food out of sunshine_, I thought sleepily. "Could you do me a favor and wake your friend up? Breakfast will be done in a few minutes and I don't want his eggs to get cold."

"Sure," I replied, still trying to wake _myself_ up. Waking Danny up could prove to be quite the feat.

And sure enough, Danny looked dead to the world. His legs stretched as far as they could across the couch and one arm was draped over his face while the other dangled off the edge. He snored lightly as he dozed into the oblivion. I wondered idly if he was dreaming, and if so, what kinds of things he dreamed about. I never really had a chance to talk with about things like that. He looked so peaceful, I _almost_ felt guilty for waking him up.

"Danny," I whispered, gently shaking the arm that he was using to shield himself. "Danny... Dan. Hey, Danny." No response. "Dan. Daaan. Dannyyy..." I was nudging him with more force, but got nothing. I slumped onto the ground, frustrated. Then I remembered how I usually woke Tom up.

I stopped shaking him and slowly pressed one hand over his mouth while pinching his nose shit with the other. He took one, maybe two breaths through his mouth, then it was clear he was beginning to struggle. His eyes flew open and he bolted upright, pushing my hands out of the way. He looked about the room wildly as he tired to catch his breath _and_ his bearings.

"Wha- what's goin' on? Where am I?"

"Hey, Danny, hey, calm down." He looked confused to see me. "Danny, you're in New York. You came with me, remember?" He seemed to as he calmed down.

"Oh. Oh yeah."

"Sorry for waking you like that. You were sleeping like a log and breakfast is almost ready."

All was forgiven at the mention of food.

"Actually, it's ready now," Rainbow called from the kitchen. She walked into the living room, balancing three plates. "What would you like to drink?" she asked, setting them down on the coffee table. "I've got orange juice, soymilk, tea..."

"Some tea sounds good," Danny said. I nodded in agreement.

It was a simple breakfast- scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast, but it was delicious. All too soon, we were clearing up the dishes.

"You know, I'm surprised that Layla didn't come over," Rainbow said as she munched on a spare piece of bacon. "I told her yesterday that I'd be cooking more than usual." Danny snuck in and stole another piece of bacon.

"Maybe she's still sleeping," he suggested through a full mouth. Rainbow nodded, accepting the possibility.

"She's not exactly a morning person," she admitted.

Danny seemed to feel a little awkward now that he had eaten all of the food. "Well, er, thanks for the breakfast and couch, Rainbow," he said, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "But I really need to be on my way."

"You're welcome," she replied, smiling. "You're welcome back anytime, as long as you ask me in advance."

I walked Danny the short distance to the door. "Hey, thanks for coming with me."

"It's no problem," he laughed. "Gotta make sure my best mate's little sister gets to her new home safely."

I struggled to keep the disappointment out of my voice, choosing to just play it off. "Oh yeah, wouldn't want Tom angry if something happened to me, eh?"

"He gets scary when he's angry!" We both laughed, knowing that was very true. "Besides, you're my friend. I gotta look out for you too!" I couldn't help but to hug him for that.

"Aw, Dan, you're my friend too." He chuckled and returned the hug. I noticed for the first time how surprisingly muscular he had become.

"Okay, see ya later, Addie!"

"Bye, Danny!" He waved to Rainbow before walking out the door.

"He seems nice," she said casually.

"He's alright, I guess," I said, laughing as I sat on the couch. Ringo waltzed into the room and jumped onto the lone armchair. Thankfully, he decided to invest in his morning nap instead of another staring contest. Rainbow sat beside me on the couch and turned on the television.

Two handsome young men appeared on the screen. After some driving and squabbling they stopped at a seedy-looking motel and popped the boot of the car. I was shocked to see that it was some kind of armory inside.

"What the hell kind of show is this?" I asked, bewildered. Rainbow couldn't suppress her laughter.

"It's Supernatural. It's about two brothers who hunt-"

_Knock knock knock._

Rainbow looked a little confused, as if she didn't know who would be coming over at this time. The knock repeated itself, but this time to a funny tune that I knew was familiar, but couldn't put my finger on. Cautiously checking through the peephole, she smiled despite rolling her eyes when she saw who it was and opened the door. "Layla, you _just_ missed breakfast," she informed her friend as she entered the apartment.

"Aww, really?" The redhead- no _way_ that shade was natural- looked a little disappointed. But then she grinned. "Guess it's a good thing I stopped at Auntie Anne's on the way over." She fumbled with some zippers and clasps on the navy messenger bag she had slung over her shoulder and pulled out a giant soft pretzel encrusted with cinnamon and sugar. She held it over her head triumphantly before taking a large bite out of it

Rainbow shook her head, amused, and waved who I presumed to be Layla into the living room. Layla gasped when she saw the evil cat curled up in "his" chair.

"Ring_o_," she called in a sing-song voice.

Without even opening his eyes he yowled a response in the same length and tone. Layla smiled, scratching him behind the ears before taking a seat on the couch.

"Sorry," she said, "I have to say hi to the cat when I first walk in. It's almost like a ritual."

"Sort of like paying your respects to a god before entering a temple?" I suggested. She cracked up laughing without hesitation.

"Yeah, that's exactly it!"

Cats, bringing people together one mew at a time.

"Sorry for not introducing myself earlier. I'm Layla." She extended her free hand to me in a handshake, which I took.

"It's cool. Nice to meet you, I'm Addie."

"OH! I thought you were! Welcome to New York!" Her enthusiasm was unexpected, and to my surprise, genuine.

"Thanks, I think I'll really like it here."

"I'm sure you will," Rainbow said, settling onto the couch as well. "The background noise can take some getting used to though." Layla nodded in agreement.

"It helps if you have some white noise. I bought a little fan for when I go to bed and it works great," she added helpfully.

"Thanks! I'll be sure to consider that."

After almost an hour of watching TV and chit-chat during commercial breaks, Layla announced that it was nearly time for her shift at work and she had to leave to get ready.

"It's just waitressing at a bar," she explained to me, "but if I wear a little extra make-up, I get bigger tips." Something about the way she smiled told me she didn't mind it so much.

"She seems pretty nice," I told Rainbow after her friend left.

"Yeah, she's my best friend. We grew up together, so we're really more like sisters. When she can spare the time off from work, she helps me out with my shop. Speaking of," she checked the watch on her small wrist, "it's about time for me to go open it. Come on, I'll show you around."


	12. Chapter 12

We went in through the back door of the shop. I looked around as Rainbow slowly turned on the lights and unlocked the front door.

The shop was actually bigger than I thought it would be. The wooden shelves ran along the whole length of the walls and held candles of every colour, scent, and related accessories. Upon closer inspection I realized that the candles were in small Mason jars. A label on the bottom stated that the candles were made using essential oils and organic soy wax. The one I held was a light, calming grey colour. My curiosity got the best of me and I found myself unscrewing the lid and having a sniff.

No way.

I inhaled again, this time more deeply, and was amazed by the deliciously warm citrus scent that flooded over me. I was practically drooling over the bergamot and nearly felt as if I was holding an actual cup of the amber coloured tea. "Rainbow, is this-?" Rainbow stopped what she was doing and came over with a pleasantly amused look on her face. "Is this earl grey tea?" I asked in surprise.

"Well, that's what it says on the lid, isn't it?"

"Ah, so it is." In my haste to be nosy I completely missed the sticker on the lid of the jar. We laughed as I put the candle back. It wasn't long before my attention wavered again and I drifted over to the small round table in the centre of the room, laden with… soap? "Hey, I didn't know you made soap." I picked up a cute hedgehog shaped bar. Mmm, cherry scented.

"I do, but Layla makes most of it. She started out making it for fun at home, but when she moved here we made a deal and now I sell it for her. When we both have time we get together and make candles and soap." Rainbow went behind the counter and pulled out a drawer. She took out a couple of aprons and tossed one at me, putting the other on herself. "If you're gonna be here, I'm putting you to work."

I grinned and put on the cream coloured apron. "I'd love to help! What d'you want me to do?" Rainbow indicated for me come behind the counter as well.

"See these boxes? They've got candles without tags on them, see?" I looked into the box she set on the counter and sure enough, the little jars were lacking the little bit of twine around their necks with the round tags. The second box she set up was filled with the twine and tags. "I need you to string the tags then tie them into the candles, like this." She deftly pulled the twine through the small hole on the tag and tied it around the neck of the jar, finishing with a neat bow. "Easy enough, right?" I nodded. "Good, try one really quick." I did and made an exact replica of her example. "Great, thanks Addie!"

"No problem! What do you want to do when I'm done?"

"Just do that box until the candles are all done, put them back in the box. You'll have leftover tags, just leave them in their box and put them both back under the counter. It'll take you long enough to do, don't worry." Rainbow began to dust and ensure that everything was presentable while I set off to my assigned task. It was fairly simple and I like being able to let my mind wander while keeping my hands busy. I have to admit though, I wasn't paying much attention to what the tags actually said until a few customers had already come in and made purchases.

"Rainbow, why are these 'how to burn' tags? I mean, c'mon it's simple. Open the lid, light the candle, done. It's burning."

"Because there are actually some people who need it," she said with a smirk. "You even would, it seems. You actually have to trim the wick each time you burn it or else you'll get a lot of smoke. Also, if you look you'll notice that there are some 'for dummies' type tips, such as 'don't burn with lid on top.'" She shook her head. "You wouldn't believe how many customers came back with broken candles before I put that in." _Wow_.

"I see, so it's more of a safety precaution."

"Mm-hm."

During my tagging I also noticed that there seemed to be nothing she didn't have. I found fruity candles, holiday themed candles, and even one that smelled like fresh cut grass. About thirty or so minutes from closing time, Rainbow got a phone call from Windsong.

"Is it okay with you if we eat at Windsong and Layla's tonight?"

"Yeah, that sounds fun! What's on the menu?"

"Vegetarian Chinese. Hope you like tofu."

I tried to hide my grossed out expression but failed miserably. Rainbow took it well and just laughed. "We won't _make_ you eat it, but I'm sure you'll like it. If you don't, it's really easy to pick out. "

"Yeah, okay…" I was very skeptical, but they were pretty much taking me in (Rainbow _literally_ was) so the least I could do was suck it up and try a bit of tofu.

The flat that Layla and Windsong rented together was a studio flat. When I expressed my surprise at their being able to afford such a roomy place Rainbow later explained to me that it used to belong to a self-proclaimed master sculptor who specialized in replicating gruesome murder scenes. He was later found to be guilty of a few of the crimes when he recreated a scene with details that hadn't been released to the public. In order to escape arrest he killed himself in the flat. I was completely appalled to learn this and actually considered faking sick so I wouldn't have to go but tried to make myself get over it for the sake of being a good friend.

"But- but why would they rent it with a history like that?"

"Rent was cheap," Rainbow replied simply with a shrug. The door swung open before I had a chance to truly express my horror.

"Addie, it's so good to see you again!" Rainbow's sister Windsong greeted and hugged us both. She looked stunning in an indigo Chinese-style dress that accented her willowy figure well. Her dark wavy hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail, revealing her heart-shaped face and bright blue eyes. Her rosy lips parted with a smile, happy to see us. "Come on in, dinner's almost ready."

The flat was so beautiful I nearly forgot about its gruesome past. The dark hardwood floor reflected the glow of patchouli-scented candles and paper lanterns that draped across the walls. In place of chairs or couches or love seats, large, overstuffed pillows in shades of green and other earth toned neutrals were scattered across the floor. Well, I _thought_ there were no chairs, but after a second quick scan I saw an armchair that looked like it was about to burst. Knowing Rainbow's preference to not sit on the floor, I correctly assumed it was for her. Before I had time to look around much more Layla called out from the kitchen, asking for Windsong's help. She later appeared to greet us as well.

"Hey, glad you could make it, Addie!" she said warmly. Layla was also wearing a Chinese dress but hers was a deep emerald green, complementing her vermillion hair. Her make-up had been made more dramatic with the addition of winged eyeliner and I was fascinated by it. Sure, I knew how to put on make-up and liked to play with color, but I really didn't know how to apply it very well. I made a mental note to ask her advice on it later. "Rain, feel free to change into your qipao whenever you like."

"I'll go ahead and do it now, thanks." For the first time I noticed the small bag she had with her.

"Addie, we've got one for you too. Rainbow asked your mom sometime ago about your size, so it should fit." Okay, so this excited me more than it probably should have. Layla showed me into the bathroom so I could change and I couldn't help but to gasp when I saw the dress. It was a lovely shade of green, chartreuse I think, and sure enough it fit like a glove. When I finished I joined everyone in the living room, where the food had been set out on the low coffee table.

"This is just a starter," Layla explained with a laugh as I took a tentative bite of the salad. "We decided to do three courses tonight; a mini-feast to celebrate a new friend." I smiled appreciatively. Despite not being a very big fan of rabbit food, this salad was slightly sweet with a surprising bite. When we finished our salads Windsong and Layla whisked away the bowls and brought back steaming plates full of sautéed veggies bathed in a rich brown sauce. Upon closer inspection I noticed some suspicious sautéed brown cubes nestled among the veggies.

Rainbow saw this and smiled. "Yes, Addie, that's the tofu." They seemed to find amusement in my hesitation. Layla was actually leaning forward, anxious to see my reaction to its taste. I stabbed a cube with my fork, swirled it around in some of the sauce, and then bit.

It was… not bad, actually. I chewed it a bit more before swallowing and announcing my verdict.

"I like it." Windsong and Layla cheered while Rainbow simply smirked. She seemed to have no doubt that I would.

"See, you can't even tell what it tastes like, can you?" she said.

"Not really. I mean, I kind of can, but I mostly taste the sauce." I was now digging into the plate fully, enjoying every morsel. "Which is also excellent, by the way."

"Thank you! I'm vegetarian, so I like to use tofu to get some of my protein," Windsong informed me.

The conversation flowed fairly well as it normally does over good food between friends, old and new. We eventually got onto the topic of how Rainbow and I met.

"Oh, I remember that," said Windsong as she went to get dessert from the kitchen. "London, oh-four, right?"

"Yup! Your family was on vacation and I was trying to stay out of the house as much as possible," I recalled with a laugh.

"Ooh, I haven't heard this story," Layla said, leaning forward with interest and placing a hand under her chin.

"It's not that exciting," I laughed. Layla seemed to be one who really enjoyed stories though, and I didn't mind telling them. "Okay, well it was the summer of oh-four and I was spending most of my free time - and money - in downtown London. I was in a shop looking at some candles. I went to pick one up but another girl tried to grab the same one. Being the perfectly polite person I am," _had_ to laugh at that," I let go so she could have it. Unfortunately, Rainbow is as equally polite." I grimaced, remembering the way the glass container shattered and how miffed the shop owner was, having witnessed the whole thing.

"We both felt responsible," Rainbow continued for me, "and we _were_, so I offered to split the cost. After all, 'You break it, you buy it' applies globally."

Layla laughed. "Yeahhh, seems that no one takes too kindly to broken merch. So, was that it? How did _that_ lead to friendship?"

"Neither of us wanted to be in that shop anymore so we left. I was about to go grab something to eat when Rainbow introduced herself and asked me if any other stores in the area sold good candles. I told her, 'No, but I know a place that makes great chips.' We ate and over lunch we talked about stuff we liked and found out we had a lot of common interests."

"That was the year my family went to Europe," Rainbow told Layla. "We stayed in London for a few days and the whole time I kept bumping into Addie. We added each other on Facebook and kept in touch. Over the years we became really good friends and made it a point to visit each other at least once a year."

Though our friendship had humble beginnings, it quickly became a strong and steadfast one. I could count the number of friends I had on one hand, and didn't even need that if I left her and the boys out.

Windsong suddenly burst back into the room, balancing four bowls of ice cream on her extended arms. "Who wants ice cream?!"


End file.
